Peugeot triumphs for the second consecutive year

PEUGEOT DKR CONFIRMS PERFORMANCE IN CHINA AFTER PREVIOUS SUCCESS IN SOUTH AMERICAPeugeot has triumphed again on the Silk Way Rally, which took place from Russia to China over two weeks, having also claimed the event last year with Cyril Despres. The French brand set off from the start in Moscow with three cars: one Peugeot DKR Maxi for Loeb, and two examples of the current Peugeot DKR, which also locked out the podium on the Dakar Rally in January.

MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE FOR PEUGEOT DKR MAXI ON ITS FIRST COMPETITIVE OUTINGThe Peugeot DKR Maxi featured a wider track that was 10 centimetres longer on each side, as well as other technical improvements that were being trialled on the Silk Way Rally, for the Dakar Rally next year. Sebastien Loeb used it to lead the rally at an impressive pace for the first week, claiming four stage wins in total. With an advantage of more than an hour, Loeb crashed the day after the rest day in Urumqi while driving off the main track to avoid a rocky river bed. His car tripped over a drainage channel, damaging it badly, and although the DKR Maxi was eventually able to be repaired, Loeb sprained a finger and couldn’t continue. Despite this misfortune, the French duo gained more experience and know-how of tackling long distance events.

DESPRES NICKNAMED “MR SILK WAY RALLY’’ AFTER CLINCHING VICTORY FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROWFollowing Loeb’s accident, Despres took over the lead, having driven faultlessly from start to finish. He only had two problems, getting stuck in a hole during the first week, and becoming perched on a sand dune three days from the finish, but these were relatively minor issues that didn’t prevent him from leading the rally commandingly, to claim his second victory in cars, after a distinguished career on bikes.

STEPHANE PETERHANSEL: A GOLDEN GUARDIAN ANGELPeterhansel, the winner of the Dakar Rally this year (and the most successful driver in Dakar history) had his chances of Silk Way Rally victory ruined in the first week, when he lost two hours after an accident. Nonetheless, from the bottom of the overall classification he fought back resiliently to claim a top-five finish, setting more fastest stage times on the Silk Way Rally than any other driver. Not only that, but Peterhansel performed a vital role as ‘guardian angel’ over Despres in the closing stages of the rally, helping his colleague to maintain his leadership by being on hand to assist in the event of any issues. This proved to be invaluable, with Despres able to drive securely in the knowledge that his team mate was on hand. This is ‘Team Spirit’ by Team Peugeot Total.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR TEAM PEUGEOT TOTALThe Silk Way Rally was an essential part of Team Peugeot Total’s preparation for the Dakar Rally, with the team testing numerous technical and logistical solutions that will be put into place on the most famous endurance rally of them all in six months’ time.

Bruno FAMIN, Peugeot Sport Director / Team Manager Peugeot Total“As we expected – or perhaps even more than we expected – the Silk Way Rally took a huge toll on all the competitors, with two of our cars being caught out by accidents. And they were in good company, because many other competitors faced the same problems. So, it was a very demanding rally but this is exactly what we were looking for, as we were looking for a challenge as we prepare our cars for the Dakar. In general, I was very happy not just with the pace but especially the reliability of our cars. Apart from a small power steering issue with Cyril, we had no major problems at all with any of the cars, which was very encouraging. The Peugeot DKR Maxi seems to be an improvement anywhere, with no disadvantages that we can tell so far compared to the current car. Congratulations to Cyril Despres and David Castera, both of whom performed faultlessly throughout the length of the rally to claim their second win here. While Stephane Peterhansel is ‘Mr Dakar’, I think we can now safely say that Cyril Despres is ‘Mr Silk Way’!”

Cyril DESPRES, Team Peugeot Total Driver Winner of the 2016 & 2017 Silk Way Rally“It’s been a fantastic rally, a huge adventure, and I’m very happy to continue my progression as a car driver with another win here: on an event that I’m very fond of. To set off in Moscow and end up in China…it's really an amazing event. Throughout the whole of the rally neither myself nor David didn’t make any big mistakes, which was really the key to the victory, as well as having a reliable car. To be honest, I still think I have plenty to learn as a car driver; there’s still a gap in my speed compared to my team mates, which is something that I would like to make up. But I can see that I’m improving year on year, which is very motivating, as I know that the best is still to come. Now we look forward to the Dakar Rally, where we were third last year, so winning here is the best preparation.”

Stéphane PETERHANSEL, Team Peugeot Total Driver 5 th overall (cars) of the 2017 Silk Way Rally“Mixed emotions for me at the end of this rally. On the one hand, for myself, I am disappointed as I am a competitor and so the only result that really interests me is winning! On the other hand, I am very happy for Cyril and the whole Peugeot team for another victory here, and I’m also pleased that we were able to carry out the job of assisting him. Over the course of the rally we saw that the cars were quick and reliable and I think the Maxi is a step forward, although as Sébastien Loeb is such a fast driver, it’s hard to tell how much of the speed comes from him and how much comes from the car. In any case, it’s two years now that Cyril has won the Silk Way Rally and I have won the Dakar, so of course I’ll be really happy if history repeats itself again!”

Sébastien LOEB, Team Peugeot Total Driver“The rally did not end the way we wanted it to for myself and Daniel, but I’m very happy for the whole Peugeot team and especially Cyril and David for this important victory. It was also a great feeling to lead the event with a good margin during the first week, and I think the Maxi was a key factor in helping to achieve this, although it was more suited to certain stages than others. Now we will continue the development work, using all the important lessons we have learned from Silk Way, in preparation for the Dakar.”